Objective
The establishment of a simple, reliable method for the deterministic coupling of nm-sized light emitters with photonic crystal (PhC) cavities is expected to propel the field of nanophotonics into a new era. Indeed, the possibility to place single quantum objects at arbitrary points of a PhC structure would allow for the realization of complex photonic circuits, integrating single- and entangled-photon sources as well as PhC routers, switches, and delay lines. The SITELiTE project will position itself at the forefront of this forthcoming revolution, through the exploitation of a novel method for the fabrication of site-controlled nano-emitters (quantum dots, but also individual impurity complexes) by spatially-selective hydrogenation of dilute-nitride materials, recently demonstrated by the Host Institution [the G29 laboratory of Sapienza University of Rome; see, e.g. Adv. Mater. 23, 2706 (2011)].
The PhC cavities employed by the present project will be designed with an innovative semi-analytic method, recently introduced by the fellow, Dr. M. Felici [Phys. Rev. B 82, 115118 (2010)]. Through the definition of a direct relationship between the target electromagnetic field distribution and the dielectric constant of the cavity supporting it, this method eliminates the need for the cumbersome, computationally demanding trial-and-error procedures that currently hinder further developments in the field of PhC cavity design. Initially, this approach will be applied to cavities supporting modes with Gaussian envelope function and ultra-low cavity losses. Then, the project will focus on the engineering of PhC structures with more complex mode distributions, including systems of coupled cavities and PhC cavities with disorder-insensitive properties. The designed PhC structures, integrated with the light emitters fabricated by spatially-selective hydrogenation, will be realized by electron-beam lithography, and characterized with advanced optical spectroscopy techniques.
Fields of science
Topic(s)
Call for proposal
FP7-PEOPLE-2011-IEF
See other projects for this call
Funding Scheme
MC-IEF - Intra-European Fellowships (IEF)Coordinator
00185 Roma
Italy